Frank cecil wilkes



(No Model.)

F. 0. WILKES.

BANJO. No. 554,967. Patented Feb. 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK CECIL WVILKES, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,967, dated February18, 1896.

Application filed April 1'7, 1894. Serial No. 507,936. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK CECIL WILKEs, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at 86 Tib Street, Manchester, in thecounty of Lancaster, England, have invented Improvements in Banjos, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improve ments in banjos whereby thesounds produced thereby are rendered more distinct, effective, andpleasing than has heretofore been usual with this class of instrument asordinarily constructed.

To or within the rear side of the circular frame of the banjo, which ispreferably of wood covered with metal, is fitted a suitablesounding-board that serves to throw the sounds produced when playing theinstrument forward through the hole in the vellum. If desired, two ormore holes with strengthened edges may be provided in the vellum drum.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2a side elevation, partly in longitudinal central section, showing abanjo constructed according to this invention.

1 is the drumhead of the banjo formed of vellum or the like secured inthe ordinary well-known way around the circular head or frame, which maybe formed of a hoop 2 of wood surrounded by a hoop 2 of metal.

3 is a circular hole formed in the drumhead, its edge being strengthenedby a ring at of light material, such as celluloid, glued or otherwisesecured to the drumhead, preferably before the hole 3 is cut therein. Aswill be obvious, there maybe more than one such hole in the drumhead, ifdesired.

5 is a disk secured to the rear end of the circular frame 2 2, so as toclose the same and act as a sounding-board to increase the musicaleffect of the instrument when the same is being played. This disk orsounding board may advantageously be of dished sheet metal, as shown,and may conveniently be fixed in position between the wooden hoop 2 andan inwardly-projecting bead 2* on the metal hoop 2.

6 is the ordinary wooden extension of the neck 7, which extends acrossthe interior of the head in the usual way.

As will be obvious, my invention can be applied to zither-banj os aswell as to ordinary banjos.

What I claim is The herein-described improved banjo consisting of thecircular frame composed of concentric hoops of wood and metal2 and 2 thevellum or like drumhead 1 with circular hole 3, secured to the front endof said frame, the strengthening-ring 4. secured to said drumhead aroundthe hole 3 therein, the non-perforated metal disk 5 secured to the rearend of the circular frame between the concentric hoop portions thereofso as to close the same and act as a sounding-board, substantially asdescribed and shown for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK CECIL WILKES.

WVitnesses WM. CALVERT, ARTHUR LoMAX.

